Devolution plans for several regions in England have been touted in budget speeches by Chancellor George Osborne, in a bid to deal with productivity
problems across the country, with places like Manchester, Liverpool and the West
Midlands also being offered devolution deals.
One of the explanations for low productivity in the UK is the geography of the economy, with much focus being given to London instead of spread out across the country equally. The deal, which hopes to see productivity rise in cities around the country, offers regions more control, especially when it comes to transport, policy and spending. The West of England bid, which was submitted by the four local authorities in September 2015, proposes a £1 billion ten year investment fund, which local authorities say could triple the level of spending on infrastructure projects, including flood prevention, among others.
Business Leaders, such as Richard Hall, Chairman of Zenith International and
former President of Bath Chamber of Commerce and former Board member of Future Bath Plus, is concerned that joining up the four Councils would see the entire region being swallowed up into Greater Bristol. However, a combined authority wasn’t included in the current plans under the bid submitted late last year. The four Councils have instead said that whether this happens will depend on the outcome of the financial package offered. Central Government have said that they don’t want to recreate Avon, should the bid be successful.
Speaking to The Bristol Post, Secretary of State for Local Government, Greg Clark, said: “I have absolutely no intention of recreating Avon and I have no powers to do that. I think it was one of the big mistakes of devolution in the past when central
government came with a blueprint to every place and said, ‘This is how it is going to be’ and imposed it, whether they liked it or not. That is the exact opposite of what we’re trying to do. Most places across the country recognise that this won’t change one-jot the councils that people have elected. This is a collaboration between councils and the mayor would hold powers that were previously held centrally.”
Another concern is that devolving into the West of England would introduce a ‘Metro-Mayor’ for the entire region, as has happened in Manchester and other places.
Part of the plan outlined by George Osborne is that devolved regions will have extra power, but in return for what he states as the accountability of a Mayor. A Mayor would provide a focal point to the economic and productive change that is hoped will come out of the devolved regions. The new Metro-Mayors would have strategic power of a wider area and a direct electorial mandate from thousands of people across the region, making them different to existing Council Leaders and Bristol’s Mayor, George Ferguson.
Government ministers have claimed that residents wouldn’t notice a difference in how their local Councils are run, only that there would be more collaboration between authorities.
Labour Councillors across the four Councils have been firmly against the idea of having a Metro Mayor, as has B&NES Council Leader, Tim Warren. However, the four Councils have agreed to review their governance on how they strengthen their working relationship in order to obtain the newly-offered powers.
Professor Steve West, Vice-Chancellor of the Bristol Chamber of Commerce, has said in news reports that Bath and Bristol could miss out on the benefits of
devolution if the four local authorities cannot come to an agreement over the deals. In order to assauge fears of smaller communities being eaten up by Bristol, the local authorities would need to come up with alternative plans that Government
ministers would accept.
Reports so far suggest that work towards this strategic review of governance between the four authorities could take another year to conclude.